The best Isle of Wight beaches with kids

The Isle of Wight is one of my favourite places for a UK family holiday – not least because you can do everything from finding fossils to building sandcastles on some of the many Isle of Wight beaches with kids.

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We’ve found beaches with playgrounds next to them, Blue Flag beaches, beaches with smuggler’s caves, surf beaches and even Queen Victoria’s own private beach… And while the sun seems to shine more on the island than on the mainland, there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained even if you didn’t bring your bucket and spade.

All in all, there’s 57 miles of coastline to choose from, so I’ve picked the 14 best Isle of Wight beaches with kids, whatever your plans on the sand.

Best for sandcastles

Appley beach, Ryde

One of our favourite beaches on the Isle of Wight, this long stretch of open sand is often quieter than nearby Ryde, and there’s always something to do, whatever the time of day or weather.

When it’s breezy, pack a kite and sprint along the sand, or when it’s sunny, you can spend hours making sandcastles while gazing back to Portsmouth and the Spinnaker tower on the mainland.

If the tide is out, the sand seems to stretch away forever, often dotted with sand worm casts: my daughter had endless fun splashing in the waves, before darting between them all, concocting stories of herself as a giant in the land of the sand worms.

Rather more prosaically, there’s also a lovely play area just off the beach, toilets, parking, a beach cafe and it’s easy to walk along the seafront here as well.

The section past Appley Tower is dog-friendly year-round, as well as on the eastern side from October to April (there are restrictions between May and September).

Sandown beach

If you’re looking for a traditional sandy beach on the Isle of Wight to break out your bucket and spade, find a few amusements, eye up the pier and hire a deckchair, it’s hard to beat the award-winning Sandown beach.

Ideal if you’re visiting with younger kids and toddlers, it’s right off the high street, so you’re not far from toilets and shops if you’ve run out of something essential, plus there are stands selling drinks, snacks and fish and chips.

There’s also a playground and minigolf nearby at the Sandham Gardens end, towards Yaverland.

Dogs are allowed year-round on the section from the slipway at the end of Yaverland car park heading away from the town.

For my beach essentials with kids, check out my top picks for fun on the sand

Shanklin beach

One of the best-known Isle of Wight beaches, along with Sandown, it’s another traditional spot with plenty of amusements to go with your sand – although it’s also one of the busier places, especially in summer.

Calm water means it’s great for swimming with kids, or you can also hire pedalos and kayaks, plus an arcade, funfair, and crazy golf courses (watch out for the waterfall of ‘blood’ at the pirate themed course), along with cafes, shops and toilets.

No dogs are allowed from the start of May to the end of September.

If Sandown and Shanklin are too busy, Lake beach in between is often slightly quieter – it’s a short walk from the Esplanade at either end, but it’s also a great option for kids interested in trying watersports, with lessons on the calmer waters here.

Ventnor beach

The southernmost holiday beach on the Isle of Wight, Ventnor completes the trio of traditional seaside sands on the island. Once a Victorian seaside resort, it’s sheltered by the cliffs – there is parking at the bottom of the steep hillside – with shingle and sand to play on.

You can hire the vintage beach huts, as well as deckchairs and wind breaks, but one of the biggest attractions for kids is the Isle of Wight paddling pool. Set around a replica of the Isle of Wight, it shows the island’s major towns, with shallow water to splash in around the edge.

On the beach itself, the best swimming is in the middle of the sands, and at low tide, there’s a ridge of rocks for older kids to clamber on.

No dogs allowed from the start of May to the end of September.

Colwell Bay

If you’re looking for a quiet Isle of Wight beach with kids, Colwell Bay is a good one to consider, with sand and shingle, and calm, clear waters for swimming – it’s also got the reputation of being the cleanest of the island.

You can also try watersports here, including windsurfing and canoeing, or hire beach huts and deck chairs as you relax and look across to Hurst Castle on the mainland. There’s also parking, cafe and beach shop.

If you fancy a walk from beach to beach, the promenade on the sea wall here leads down to Totland Bay. The beach there all but vanishes at high tide, but the water is an incredible shade of turquoise blue.

No dogs allowed from the start of May to the end of September.

Osborne House

In the north of the island, you’ll find a beach fit for a Queen. Quite literally. The beach at Osborne House was where Queen Victoria and her family used to come, and where the royal children learned to swim.

You can still see Victoria’s Bathing Machine: used to preserve her modesty, so no-one would see her in a swimming costume, it has a changing room and proper toilet inside – and she could be pulled back to the beach after a dip.

You can walk down from the house in around 20 minutes (or at certainly times, there’s a shuttle bus) and it’s a lovely place to paddle and swim, as well as watching yachts in the Solent, looking out for seabirds, and you might even spot a red squirrel in the woods behind.

During the summer, there’s often traditional games and entertainment, plus you can buy ice-cream made by local dairies.

No dogs are allowed on the beach at Osborne House year-round.

Steephill Cove

You have to make more of an effort to get to this pretty little beach, but that does mean that you avoid the crowds you’ll find on some of the other stretches of sand in this part of the island.

The closest parking (on Love Lane, or in the Botanical gardens if you’re planning to combine both) is about five minutes away, although you can also walk from Ventnor if you’re feeling energetic – allow around half an hour along the cliff path.

The pay-off is a quiet little beach where you can see fishermen unload their catch, swim in the calm waters and build a sandcastle. There are toilets and cafes which are usually open at lunchtime and afternoon, although these may be closed out of season.

This is another dog-friendly beach on the Isle of Wight from October to April. Dogs are allowed between May and September before 9.30am and after 5.30pm but must be on a lead.

Best for fossil hunting

Yaverland beach

Another long open stretch of sand, running from the edge of Sandown beach, the biggest attraction on Yaverland beach isn’t sandcastles but dinosaurs.

Wander along from Dinosaur Isle and the Isle of Wight zoo, you can spot a fossilised dinosaur footprint – from the time when the beach was a lake – as well as bones and coprolites, not to mention crystals growing in the rock and stones left over from a Tudor castle.

Realistically, I know we wouldn’t have known what to look for so I highly recommend the dinosaur walks run by Dinosaur Isle – check out my review of a dinosaur walk on Yaverland beach.

Dogs allowed on on the section between the sailing club and Culver Down head year-round, as well as on the rest of the beach from October to April.

Compton Beach, West Wight

Another great option if you’re looking for a bit of time travel with your coast, it’s possible to find fossils on Compton Beach and you can see dinosaur footprints on the ledge at Hanover Point at low tide – the safest option is to book a tour to do it.

There are toilets and parking here, but otherwise don’t expect much in the way of facilities (though you might find an ice cream van) – but it’s perfect if you’re looking for a chilled out escape from the crowds. The main car park is at Hanover Point although there’s a smaller one further west with steep steps leading down to the bay.

Popular with surfers, there’s two miles of sands of sand so you can make a proper sand fortress or spread out to play games. The water has won awards for its high quality, although those surf waves mean you can forget paddling with little ones.

No dogs allowed between mid May and the end of September.

Brook Beach

Next to Compton Bay, Brook Beach is another great option if you want to spot the dinosaur footprints at low tide – Hanover Point is right between the two beaches.

But that’s not all there is to find on this lovely sandy beach. As the tide goes out, you can also find fossilised trees – a petrified forest, which looks a little like lumps of coal with added sparkle. Not from gold, sadly, but from iron pyrites, or fools gold. Still adds to the feeling of finding treasure though.

You can also find fossils at the back of the beach among the pebbles – do take care as you get closer to the cliffs. And it’s another ideal beach for activities, including kite-surfing and surfing for older kids, as well as games on the wide open stretch of sand.

Dog-friendly year-round.

Best for activities

St Helen’s Duver

You could happily sit on the beach at St Helen’s Duver making sand castles and watching the ships off the coast for hours, but it’s also a great place if you’re looking for more activity in your day.

At Node’s Point, the big limestone ledges are dotted with little pools which are perfect for rockpooling – you can find crabs here as well, or simply bring a net (and some beach shoes!) and see what you discover hiding in the tide pools.

As ever, if you do go rockpooling, return everything you find to its home afterwards, being careful not to harm the creatures. And take care on the slippery rocks!

Behind the beach, the soft springy grass is lovely to scamper around on if your kids need to burn off any more energy, as well as being dotted with wildflowers.

There’s also a great walk taking you along the beach towards Priory Bay and circling back if you want to make more of an adventure of it – although you do need to check the tide times before setting off, to ensure it’s low tide if you want to do the full walk.

It’s also dog-friendly here.

Stop off at Baywatch on the Beach for a great crab sandwich while you’re here as well.

Bembridge Beach

Head to Bembridge beach at low tide, and it’s another great place to go rockpooling, as the waves recede off Bembridge Ledge which stretches to the slipway ramp for the lifeboat.

You can find crabs here too, as well as fish, shrimps and brittle stars, plus a sandbank that emerges when the tide is out.

If you don’t have any luck finding crabs in the pools, they’ll be on the menu at the Beach Hut in Bembridge which has made a name for its crab dishes – kids also welcome there.

At high tide, it’s mostly pebbles and shells, so also works well for a wander to the lifeboat station – a special pier was built to launch it out beyond the rocks around the coast.

You can also try watersports, including sailing, as well as looking out to the cross Channel ferries leaving Portsmouth and St Helen’s Fort.

This is one of the few Isle of Wight beaches which is dog-friendly year-round too.

Alum Bay

The pebble beach at Alum Bay isn’t the biggest attraction – although there’s still space to sit and watch the waves for a bit – but its location. Looking out to The Needles, you can get boat trips from this point for a closer view, including high-speed RIB boats, as well as more leisurely options with younger kids.

Check out our review of a boat trip to The Needles

If you don’t want to venture out on the waves, you can still see the three famous chalk rocks, as well as the cliffs made up of 21 different shades of sand – lots of fun trying to spot them all.

Back up on the clifftop, you can also make your own sand souvenir from the different colours – a bit kitschy and touristy? Maybe, but still a lot of fun for kids. There are also toilets and cafes here, although not on the beach itself.

There’s a chairlift down to Alum Bay beach, which costs around £3 per person (each way), or you can take the path down – easy with older kids, although not ideal if you’ve got a buggy. It runs along the cliff edge too, so not always the best option with toddlers either.

Dogs are allowed on leads (although not on the chairlift itself!)

Freshwater Bay

Head to the pebbly beach of Freshwater bay at low tide and you can spot a series of caves in the chalk cliffs – once the haunt of smugglers, you can still explore them (although best with a local guide to avoid becoming cut off by the tide).

Another option is to go kayaking out to look at them, especially if you’re visiting the Isle of Wight with older kids, as well as round to some of the other small bays along the coast here. Or check out some other waterspots in the bay.

There’s also rockpooling on the rock ledge, or if the tide is in, you’ll find a sandy section on the east edge of the beach for sandcastles and paddling. There are several cafes and places to eat nearby, public toilets a couple of minutes away and parking.

No dogs allowed between May and September.

If you’re visiting Freshwater Bay, make a stop at nearby Totland Bay too – the beach here all but vanishes at high tide, but the water is an incredible shade of turquoise blue.

PIN FOR LATER: BEST ISLE OF WIGHT BEACHES WITH KIDS

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Shanklin beach/Compton Bay image courtesy of Depositphotos, Colwell Bay/Osborne Beach/Brook Bay/Steephill Cove copyright visitisleofwight.co.uk, all others copyright MummyTravels

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